Over 1.9million displaced persons live in camps, others – NEMA

A total of 1,934,765 displaced persons are currently living in formal camps, host communities and satellite camps in liberated communities as a result of the insurgency in Nigeria’s North Eastern states of Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa.

The Yola Camp Coordinator, Saad Bello, disclosed this while taking the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samanthan Power, on a facility tour at the Malkohi IDP Camp in Yola, Adamawa State, according to a statement issued by the Senior Information Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency, Sani Datti, on Sunday.

Bello, who stood in for the Director-General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, said there were 32 formal camps in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, with a total of 189,783 internally displaced persons.

He said Borno has 19 camps with 150,858 IDPs; Yobe, 9 camps with 31,988 IDPs; and Adamawa, four camps with 6,937 IDPs.

The camp coordinator added that there were 14 satellite camps in liberated communities, mainly in Borno with 216,184 IDPs. He said the camps with the highest population include Ngala with 70,505; Dikwa, 53,636; Bama, 27,000; and Damboa/Sabon Gari, 25,311.

Saad noted that host communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have a total of 1,391,613 IDPs, adding that Borno State has the highest with 1,158,362; Adamawa, 125,689; and Yobe, 107,562.

He said, “The Federal Government through the coordinating agency, NEMA and relevant line ministries, departments and agencies have been trying to meet the needs of the IDPs in the provision of food, non-food items, temporary shelter, psycho-social therapy, security and protection.”

Saad said the critical areas where further support were needed include the provision of food, non-food items, shelter, education, nutrition, protection, health and sexual reproductive health, and psycho-social assistance.

In her remarks, Power, who led a high level delegation from US to the Malkohi IDPs camp and host communities, told those she met that the team came around to determine what more could be done to defeat Boko Haram so that the displaced persons could return back to their communities.

She said, “I know how difficult these last years have been for you and on behalf of President Barack Obama, I express my sympathy and my condolences for all you have lost and our resolve to try to make things better together.”